Synkroniciti is thrilled to welcome writer James A. Foster, based in Idaho, with “Now You See Me,” his debut short story, a captivating and tragic tale of a homeless man who is able (or thinks he is able) to become invisible, a talent he discovered as a child.
“The recess bell rings. Everybody else lines up at the door as I make myself invisible: close my eyes, relax, blow the bubble. The world turns bright. It’s like breathing into a paper bag. It smells like lilacs. I’m gone and it feels good. They go outside and leave me alone—or so I think. I wish I could stay like this forever.”
James takes us back in time to see the trajectory of this young man’s life, from pre-school to high school, which he never finished, to the street. He has an imaginary friend who acts as a guardian angel, checking in on him and reminding him to protect himself. They play the game Marco Polo to keep going. In turn, he protects Janice, a fellow street person, taking a beating to keep mean kids from hurting her. James painstakingly paints his nature–kind, smart in his own way, incredibly imaginative, and dealing with mental illness. Unfortunately, he has become invisible to most people, except the extremely empathetic and the extremely cruel.
James is a careful and methodic storyteller, showing more than he tells, and this man’s world becomes real for us. We feel his wonder and his pain, and despair that the world couldn’t find room for such a gentle, sensitive soul. James cleverly weaves in the story of the cyclops from The Odyssey, which the young man remembers from World Lit class. Our young man ends up identifying not with Odysseus, the wily hero, but with the monster.
Read “Now You See Me” in Synkroniciti’s “Identity” issue, available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/. You don’t want to miss this exciting voice.
James A. Foster is a retired Distinguished Professor of Biology, Philosophy, and Computer Science, with an extensive academic publication and editorial record. He holds an A.B. in Classical Philosophy and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science. Many years ago, he moved from Chicago to a former logging town in Northern Idaho, where he lives with his wife, sons, and a calico kitten named Skitterbutt. These days, James writes novels, poems, and short stories. When he’s not making stuff up, he reads ancient Greek literature, plays Blues, chases wild fish in remote places, and drinks excellent whisky. James swam before he walked and still prefers water to land.